Blog

July 20, 2013

One family is originally from Cuba and has been in the Phoenix area for close to six months. Their second floor apartment is moderate to small inside and difficult reach by stairs. This single mother is raising an older middle school son by herself. She has no family or relatives to support her. Their journey to the United States was difficult. The mother worked in a salon when they lived in Cuba. The son is a typical middle school child. He is larger in stature and he would desperately like an adult bike. The son is at a critical age to learn to speak and read English. A television and DVD player would help him to learn English. He also needs all school supplies, and a small desk. The son is a huge basketball fan! The mother does not have many kitchen supplies, and needs things to make their house feel like a home.

The next family we will visit is originally from Congo via Tanzania. This is a very large family of twelve. They left the Congo because their country was violent and war-torn. They lived in refugee camps in Tanzania which were unsupportive and hostile. The parents could not work in the camps. The conditions in the camp in Tanzania (where they lived over two decades) were very harsh and filled with criminals.The husband’s wife was assassinated in the Congo and he had to flee. He came to the United States with his children and his two brothers. They are staying in a large multi-bedroom first floor apartment. Although they were provided with some large sofas, they are missing all the smaller items that make a house feel and function like a home. They
have very few toys for the children. Naturally this large family needs dressers
for storage. They are happy to be in Arizona. They are excited about their new community, and that the children will enroll in new schools. All of the children would like bikes and the three adult males are in need of bikes to use as transportation.

The last family we will visit is originally from the Congo. They travelled to Burundi en route to the United States. This family lives in same complex as the previous Congolese family and the families are friends. This household is run by a single mother. She is raising nine children by herself in this first floor multi-
bedroom apartment. She has one baby who is less than one year old. The
family has large sofas and a television, but they do not have the common smaller items
needed in a house. The family has very few toys, in spite of the large
number of children in the household. The children would love to have bikes. The
mother needs large scale cooking items to feed this large household. They also need items
such as towels, laundry baskets and trash cans for rooms. Many of the children will be starting school very soon, so they also need school supplies. They are also in desperate need of storage, such as dressers or chests of drawers.